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President Obama, White House Oppose Breed-Specific Legislation
In a rather startling move, President Obama and the White House publicly acknowledged on Tuesday, August 20th, that they are staunchly opposed to breed-specific legislation (BSL). In response to an online petition which called for the outlawing of BSL on the federal level, the White House issued the following statement, which read in…
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Watertown, Wisconsin Inflexible on “Pit Bull” Ban; Resident Gets Frosty Reception
When last we heard from Watertown, Wisconsin, it sounded like the Safety and Welfare Committee and the city council were willing to take into account their constituents’ worries about being made to choose between their homes and their dogs. However, Alderman Bob Stocks, who had prior been sympathetic to his constituents’ concerns about the…
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Winnipeg “Pit Bull” Owner to Fight City’s “Pit Bull” Ban in Court; Winnipeg Bite Stats Increase Despite BSL
Steve Gagnon, owner of American Staffordshire Terrier, Odie, ran afoul of Winnipeg city officials when he moved to Winnipeg unaware his dog’s breed was banned. Now, faced with removing Odie from the city, Gagnon plans to fight Winnipeg’s “pit bull” ban in court. Gagnon maintains that, “It’s not the dog it’s his upbringing.…
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The BSL “gods” in Boston and Pawtucket Giveth and Taketh Away BSL
Do you ever get the feeling like the powers-that-be behind breed-specific legislation (BSL) play god and giveth and taketh BSL away? For instance, I wonder if people in Rhode Island and Massachusetts are wondering if their respective states passed legislation prohibiting BSL only long enough to supposedly “prove” that municipalities within that state supposedly…
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Pawtucket, Rhode Island Defiant in Maintaining BSL; “Pit Bull” Owner Plans to Sue
Writing about Boston and how they were forced to repeal their breed-specific legislation (BSL) after the state passed a law prohibiting breed-specific laws made me wonder why Pawtucket, Rhode Island hasn’t also had to repeal its BSL after Rhode Island likewise passed a law prohibiting breed-specific laws. In fact, Boston and Pawtucket have both…
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Boston: Abusive “pit bull” owners and breeders increase, as do maulings. Can’t they make the correlation?
Yesterday the Boston Herald reported that “pit bull” maulings are on the increase in Boston since Massachusetts prohibited breed-specific legislation (BSL) in 2012, thereby, in effect, repealing Boston’s 2004 “pit bull” ban. The article referred to the state BSL prohibition as “an animal-rights bill” that “nullified Bostons 2004 pit bull ordinance.” No, the…
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Bonner Springs, Kansas Task Force Still Looking at Repealing BSL
As we reported in a mid-July post, Bonner Springs, Kansas, has formed a task force to look into changing their breed-specific law (BSL) after resident Debi Baker, who did not know she owned a banned breed, was given a mere 15 days to remove her Staffordshire Bull Terrier Titan from the city. Currently, a…
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Hamilton, Ontario Admits Ontario’s “Pit Bull” Ban Not Working
Eight years after the Dog Owners’ Liability Act (DOLA) was passed in 2005 which banned so-called “pit bulls,” Hamilton, Ontario has admitted that “dog owners are getting around [Ontario’s] ban by registering their pets as another breed ” or not registering them at all.” Hamilton’s Animal Control Supervisor Jim Gillis acknowledged, “The fact that…
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South Bend, Indiana Still Working to Remove Breed-Specific Legislation, Restrict Tethering
As we learned in May, South Bend, Indiana is working to remove its “breed discrimination policies” and add some restrictions on tethering to its municipal code. Councilwoman Valerie Schey asserted during a work session on Thursday, August 8, 2013, that South Bends municipal code prejudicially deems American Pit Bull Terriers as a dangerous breed,”…
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Mobile, Alabama Takes Free-Roaming Dog Case to District Attorney
Recently, Mobile, Alabama did something revolutionary. They decided to stop the danger that free-roaming dogs pose by taking a pro-active approach. Instead of attempting to pass a breed-specific law, or BSL (which is widely known to be ineffective legislation) when confronted with a “pit bull” owner who refused to contain his dogs, Mobile…